In tiny Mahtowa, Colleen Myhre and her husband, Jim, run the Rugged Spruce Golf Club, a busy venue for local music, especially in the summer. And Myhre knows music. She also performs as Boss Mama, singing blues, country and folk with what she describes as “soul, rhythm and grit.”
Myhre, a mom of two kids who taught herself to play guitar in her 20s, didn’t start playing professionally until she was 30. She saw Parr play in Duluth, which inspired her decision to go for it. Today she plays 3 to 5 shows a week and several festivals each year. She often collaborates with northern Minnesota musicians and has become one of the venerable voices in the Duluth scene.
“From Grand Marais down to Winona, there are tons of places to play and people are coming,” she said.
A survey of arts venues across the state conducted by MinnPost last August revealed that most arts venues reported smaller audiences since the lifting of COVID restrictions.
But Hanson and Myhre both say audiences have returned to rural Minnesota music venues — and might even be bigger than before.
“Maybe I’m just hopeful, but I think it’s growing,” said Myhre. “We live in a place with 80 people and we’re getting 250 people on Saturday nights. When you have good bands at your place, people come out. People want it.”
